Embassy Science Fellowship: Dr. Tom Hennessy talks about his work in Greenland

Dr. Tom Hennessy, Director ofArctic Investigations Program (AIP) for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently completed a one-month Embassy Science Fellowship(ESF) in Copenhagen. The ESF program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State to place U.S. scientists in its embassies around the globe to engage in “science diplomacy.” Dr. Hennessy used his time to build collaborations and research activities related to Arctic infectious disease threats, a central part of AIP’s mission, and to advance and support U.S. contributions to the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council. He worked to strengthen AIP’s International Circumpolar Surveillance for infectious diseases, promoted efforts to improve capacity in the Arctic, and continued work to operationalize the U.S.-led “One Health” approach in the region. Based at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen and Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut, Dr. Hennessy also traveled to Finland and Norway to meet with public health and diplomatic colleagues. Says Dr. Hennessy, “The ESF gave me time to strengthen CDC’s Arctic health collaborations and to support the U.S. leadership role and its contributions to the collaborative work of the Arctic Council.”

Dr. Hennessy visited the Embassy to talk briefly about his work. You can watch the interview in the video on the right.